Jinja Hippos were beaten by Toyota Buffaloes RFC in round six of the 2022 Nile special rugby premier league, their second consecutive loss in a space of just one week.
Hippos went down 11-16 to a resilient Toyota Buffaloes side at Dam Waters on Saturday evening to drop to 7th place on the table with 10 points.
This was Kevin Makmott’s first game in charge of the Jinja team as the head coach, two days after replacing Charles Onen who quit on Thursday to commit to the Lady Cranes 7s and his businesses in Kampala.
Both sides started cautiously in the calm conditions at Dam Waters but ball retention proved difficult for the Hippos.
Penalties were their greatest undoing as they conceded two in the first half yet their execution in the attack was not effective.
“It wasn’t a good result and we didn’t hope for this. Today’s display is not what we expected as a team but we shall keep on fighting and working hard,” Jinja Hippos captain – David Waako said.
“We are still in a rebuilding process, and still working to make the team better. When the process is over, we shall be one of the best teams in the country.”
Toyota Buffaloes came into this clash on the back of a 03-39 loss to Pirates last weekend, and they now sit fourth on table with 14 points after Saturday’s result.
“Our kicks were good, we attacked hard and we didn’t give them a chance to get into us,” Buffaloes stand in captain Philip Aita said after the game.
“We played as a team and kept our cool. We managed to keep the ball when we had it and we didn’t lose it any how.”
Liam Walker bisected the uprights to give the visitors a 3-0 lead inside the opening minutes.
But the home side didn’t let up, a penalty conversion from Timothy Mugisha a few moments later put the score at 03-03.
They however failed to keep the grip on the momentum in the match for too long.
Superb work from Buffaloes earned them another penalty that was converted by Walker again to regain the three-point advantage.
Mugisha as well duly took a fine penalty again to bring back his side into the game before David Agassi crossed the try line for the visitors, and letting Walker to make a successful conversion of the extra before the halftime.
It was the home side who started the brightest in the second half, Denis Otwau scored a try to reduce the away side’s lead to just two points.
Hippos then began to show their newly found attacking confidence as they stretched the Buffaloes in the wide channels, And the visitors defence did well to survive unscathed after being put under serious strain for the first time in the match.
But some minutes later, it was 11-16 with Buffaloes kicker – Walker knocking over a penalty courtesy of more lacklustre Hippos defensive work, and the evening belonged to the visitors by the sound of the final whistle.
Saturday results
Hippos 11-16 Buffaloes
Heathens 54-06 Rhinos
Pirates 35-03 Mongers
Kobs 62-10 Warriors
Rams 09-07 Impis
